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When I think about the history of wrestling, one match comes to mind as the pivotal defining moment in wrestling history. It was at Wrestlemania 17. The fans were cheering, practically jumping out of their seats waiting for the main event to begin. Two giants in pro-wrestling were going to square off against each other for the World Heavyweight Title in a classic Tables, Ladders and Chairs match. Matt Hardy was going to face off against Devon Dudley! Oh, wait...this match never happened.

And thank God it didn't. No one would pay to see Matt Hardy face Devon Dudley. What they would pay for, however, is the Hardy Boys facing the Dudley Boys facing Edge and Christian in a triple threat TLC match. Why is that" Why is it that some tag team wrestlers just won't get over as singles wrestlers" Let's take a quick look through tag wrestlers who have had failed singles careers. Jim Neidhart, Marty Jannetty, Scotty Riggs, Charlie Haas, all of La Resistance, and Road Warrior Animal.

Now, on the flip side, there a ton of wrestlers who broke out of the tag division to become mega-stars. The two most notable are Shawn Michaels and Bret Hart, with people like Shelton Benjamin coming to mind as well.

So, what's my point" My point is...the IC and US titles are not sufficient for mid-carders anymore. Both titles have not been written into major story lines in years, and they are basically looked at as a second tier title, as opposed to ECW's old TV Title and TNA's X-Division Title, which are viewed as a separate honor rewarding a superstar for a separate kind of wrestling.

That is why the Tag Division is so important. It serves two functions...it takes less talented stars and hides their weaknesses and takes talented stars and allows them a platform to begin their popular singles careers.

I will use two examples, one from each line of thought, to make my example.

Let's take a look at a guy like Chris Masters. Chris Masters CANNOT carry a match for a World Title program - he just can't. No matter how he is booked, his work in the ring is that of a poor man's Batista. His program with Jeff Hardy would make sense IF Masters had been built up - his return hyped - and he wasn't just a guy wearing trunks (cause, honestly - define Chris Master's gimmick in ten words or less. He's a guy...who...um...thinks...he's good" Come on. EVERY WRESTLER has that gimmick! )

What Masters needs is a tag team partner. In this writer's opinion, he was at his best when he was with Carlito. Team him with someone who is doing nothing right now (possibly Val Venis, Charlie Haas, Rob Conway or even Shelton Benjamin) and DEFINE these guys. Tag in Masters for power moves, cocky cheap shots, distracting the ref, etc. This guy, in a twenty minute match, would only have to work about 5-7 minutes of it, greatly underexposing his weaknesses, and using his strengths - the old Paul Heyman formula to success - which has definite results (Sandman, Tommy Dreamer). His strengths, in my opinion, are his look, his intensity, his ability to dominate in the ring. Use these to SELL HIM! And then - once he and his partner win the tag team titles - they won't be laughed at and mocked online as "goofs with no talent" - they'd be looked at as credible.

Now, there is the other side of the spectrum. The Tag Team Division's ability to produce new stars. Johnny Nitro comes to mind. Remember where that young man was as Eric Bischoff's buddy backstage. Remember his epic feuds with - um...wait...oh, let's be honest - the guy was about as entertaining as leaves falling. But - he was repackaged. He was sent to Smackdown!, given a tag team partner (the amazingly talented Joey Matthews) - and then the team split up. In the meantime - Nitro had gained the credibility as a performer to make a singles career for himself. He won the IC title within days of his debut on RAW. If that doesn't speak for itself - I don't know what does.

So, all I'm saying is - maybe the tag division should be booked with a little more philosophy. It helps the talent-less look talented and it helps the talented move ahead. It's a fully functioning training machine. The Tag division is an essential function to keep viewer-ship up and to have less wasted talent in the WWE. It is imperative that the Tag Division is not a jumbling of talent, but solid teams, formed with thought and formula to help hide weaknesses and accentuate talent.

by Chris Evans